Galtier defends Messi
Lionel Messi was greeted with hostile whistles once again by PSG fans, but coach Christophe Galtier defended his player.
For all Lionel Messi has done for Argentina and the international team, he is still getting jeered at by fans of his club team at Paris Saint Germain. After returning to PSG from a successful international break, Messi was greeted by whistles when his name was announced in the starting XI against Lyon on Sunday. Unfortunately for both him and PSG, he did not manage to stick it to the fans this time as they lost 1-0.
“This is very personal”
As of late, PSG has been struggling. Before the World Cup, they were undefeated in 22 games. Since returning from the World Cup, they have lost seven of 18 in all competitions and are just six points above Lens and Marseille with nine games left. They have failed to score at all in three out of 13 games so far this season, whereas last year, they failed to score in three out of all 35 games. They’ve already been eliminated from the Coupe de France and Champions League and are not secure to win the Ligue 1 title at this point either.
Of course, with a player of Messi’s status and success, there are bound to be high expectations. In 50 appearances with PSG, Messi has scored 19 goals and had 28 assists, which are pretty damn good stats. Without success in the Champions League though, none of that matters for many fans. But PSG boss Christophe Galtier says there are unrealistic expectations placed on Messi and teammate Kylian Mbappé to do all the work for the whole team every game.
“We are waiting for Leo and Kylian Mbappé to unlock situations. Leo is our leader. He tries a lot. And when you try a lot, there are bound to be some mistakes,” said Galtier. “But around Leo, the players must take more responsibility, because we can’t expect everything to come from Leo or Kylian.”
Galtier also said he feels the jeers and whistles from PSG fans are unfair, that Messi does not deserve that treatment from his own side, yet he understands that with higher expectations comes higher criticism.
“I think, and this is very personal, that the jeering is very harsh, because Leo is a player who gives a lot, a lot,” said Galtier. “He gave a lot in the first part of the season. He’s been passing and scored goals this year. But it is up to the other player, surely, to take some more responsibility to create danger in the opposition penalty area.”
As Messi’s contract comes to an end after this season, the rumors have come swirling about again that he could return to Barcelona, which has likely added to the criticism from the PSG side. PSG will travel to Nice on Saturday before facing second-place Lens on April 15.